Room for Au Pair

Au pair´s room

Do you need some ideas for setting up a room for your future au pair? Read more about the official requirements for au pair rooms and get some decoration ideas.

Information at a glance

8m² with windows, heating and a key to lock the door are a must

having a room that is a little bit further away from the rest of the rooms in the house offers some advantages

it should be a combination of a living room and bed room

desk for studying

TV for spending time without the host family

internet and/or Wi-Fi to stay connected

flowers and paintings give the room a friendly look

Requirements for the au pair room

There are some legal requirements for the host family regarding the au pair room: According to these, the au pair room should have a size of at least 8m². It should have a window to let in some natural light. Also, the au pair room should have furniture. It has to have heating and it should be lockable, so the au pair can have some privacy. These requirements for the au pair room are part of the general requirements for being a host family.

Before your au pair arrives, you should decide which room you want to convert into an au pair room. This might not seem very important to you, but choosing the wrong room for the au pair could actually affect the quality of life. Keep in mind that your au pair might want to listen to music (which can get loud), and that the au pair might go out on weekends and come home late. Also, there might be other au pairs who come to visit. All these activities involve a certain level of noise, so it makes sense not to have the au pair room right next to the children's room or next to your bedroom.

Ideally, the au pair room should be on a different floor, so the au pair has the chance to spend some time alone after working hours without being involved in all the activities of the host family. This makes life easier for both sides.

When decorating the room for your future au pair, make sure to keep it warm and friendly. For you as a host family it is also important for your au pair to feel comfortable in their room. If they don't feel comfortable, your au pair might spend a lot of time in common rooms or they might feel so uncomfortable that they want to change host families.

Stand in the middle of the au pair room and look at it critically. Would you like to live in this room for a couple of months? If you can answer this question with a “yes,” you have done a great job decorating the au pair room!

Tips for decorating the au pair room

It makes sense to turn the room for an au pairinto a combination of a living room and bedroom, including a nice, comfortable bed. If you buy a new bed, you might want to get a convertible bed. Maybe your au pair will have sleepovers at your place, so think ahead and provide enough sleeping space. When we say sleepovers, we are talking about male visitors with a male au pair and female visitors with a female au pair. Sleepovers happen because your au pair might go out with a couple of friends and since it can be difficult to find public transportation late at night, they might decide to all sleep in one place.

A small table and one or two places to sit (for example, a rocking chair) make the room cozier. It is also important to include a desk when setting up the au pair room. Since your au pair is also coming to your country to learn a new language, they will need a desk to study and to do the homework for the language class . Make sure the desk, chair and desk lamp are of good quality. This makes it more comfortable for your au pair to study, even on a dark winter night.

Internet and Wi-Fi in the au pair room

Today's world is connected! Your au pair is used to being online every day. Many au pairs keep in touch with their friends and family over the internet, using video chat or video calling.

Staying in touch also helps the au pair if they feel homesick. Try to install an internet connection in the au pair's room. Before their arrival, ask the au pair if they will be bringing a notebook or laptop. If your au pair doesn't have their own device to connect to the internet, consider putting a computer or laptop in the au pair room as well.

A TV for the au pair

We recommend putting a TV in the au pair room. This helps avoid your au pair cuddling up on your living room couch every night to watch TV. Also, the au pair will probably want to watch different programs than you do! Nice pictures, paintings and some plants make the au pairroom look friendlier.

Make sure your au pair has enough storage space (closet, shelves). Put some fresh sheets and towels in the room so your au pair doesn't have to ask you for them. Also, your au pair will probably appreciate finding a bouquet of flowers in the room on the first day.